Katarina Railko is a distinguished expert in the hospitality industry, having refined her skills across the travel, tourism, and events sectors. With a keen eye for leadership trends and operational excellence, she is a key voice in analyzing the movements of top executives. In this discussion, we delve into the recent wave of general manager appointments, exploring how diverse international backgrounds shape leadership, the unique challenges of launching new properties and managing multiple hotels, and how foundational career experiences influence a general manager’s long-term vision. We also examine the complexities of leading vast, multifaceted resorts and balancing the independent spirit of collection-brand hotels with corporate standards.
Many newly appointed general managers have extensive international experience, spanning Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. How does this global background influence your leadership style in a new market, and what specific strategies do you use to adapt to local guest expectations? Please share a brief example.
Having a global background is less about collecting stamps in a passport and more about developing a deep cultural fluency. When you see a leader like Markus Laahanen, whose career has taken him from the Maldives to Anguilla and now to Costa Rica, you’re seeing someone who has learned to listen before they lead. The most critical strategy is immersion. You can’t just impose a service standard that worked in Milan on guests in Cancun. For instance, a leader with this experience understands that in some cultures, luxury is about anticipatory, almost invisible service, while in others, it’s about warm, personal, and expressive engagement. A tangible example would be adapting the wellness offerings; instead of a generic menu, a leader with experience in eco-luxury resorts might collaborate with local artisans and healers to create authentic experiences that resonate deeply with the “Pura Vida” lifestyle of Costa Rica, which is something a purely corporate-trained manager might overlook.
When taking the helm of a hotel that has not yet opened, what are the first critical steps you take to establish a strong brand identity? Could you walk me through your process for building a cohesive team culture from the ground up before the doors officially open?
Taking on a pre-opening project, as leaders like Robert Hannigan or Eren Bicakci have, is like being an architect of an experience, not just a building. The first critical step is to crystallize the hotel’s story. Who are we, and what promise are we making to our guests? This isn’t just marketing copy; it’s the soul of the property. I work with the core team to define this narrative, which then informs everything from the scent in the lobby to the tone of voice on the phone. To build the team culture, I focus on hiring for passion and attitude over pure resume points. You can teach skills, but you can’t teach genuine warmth. Before the doors open, we run immersive training sessions that are less about reciting rules and more about living the brand story. We role-play guest scenarios, we celebrate successes, and we build a sense of shared ownership. It’s about creating a family that is genuinely excited and proud to welcome the very first guest through the door.
Some leaders are tasked with managing multiple properties at once, such as overseeing both the Hotel Theodore and the Mayflower Park Hotel. What is the key to successfully balancing the distinct needs of two different hotels, and how do you structure your week to ensure both teams feel supported?
The key to dual management is empowerment and presence. You simply cannot be in two places at once, so you have to trust and empower your on-site leadership teams. Someone like Andrew Harris, who oversees two distinct properties, has to be a master of delegation and communication. The most successful strategy I’ve seen is to build incredibly strong department heads at each location and establish a clear, rhythmic communication cadence—daily check-ins, weekly strategy meetings, and monthly performance reviews. Structuring the week becomes a deliberate act of balancing visibility. You might dedicate specific days to each property, ensuring you are physically present to walk the floors, connect with staff, and meet with department leaders. It’s about being fully present where you are. The teams need to feel your support and guidance, not your divided attention. When you’re at the Hotel Theodore, your focus is 100% on its unique Tapestry Collection identity, and when you’re at the Mayflower Park, your mind is fully on its distinct character.
Leaders often begin their hospitality careers in diverse roles, from corporate management trainees to positions in purchasing. How does this type of foundational experience shape your perspective on daily operations and long-term financial strategy as a general manager? Please provide a specific anecdote.
Your starting point in this industry profoundly shapes your leadership DNA. It gives you an empathy and a practical understanding that you just can’t learn from a textbook. Take Jerome Arribas, who began his Four Seasons career in purchasing. A GM with that background doesn’t just see a line item for linens on a spreadsheet; they understand the entire supply chain, the quality of the thread count, and the relationships with vendors. I recall a situation at a resort where we were facing a budget crisis. The GM, who had started in the kitchen, was able to walk into the pantry, look at the inventory with an expert eye, and identify inefficiencies in ordering and waste that a purely finance-trained leader would have missed. He knew precisely which premium ingredients were essential for signature dishes and which could be sourced more cost-effectively without compromising quality. That granular, foundational knowledge is invaluable for making smart, strategic decisions that protect both the guest experience and the bottom line.
Taking charge of a large, complex resort like Atlantis Paradise Island or a luxury Four Seasons property involves unique operational demands. How do you prioritize initiatives across vast properties with multiple venues, and what metrics do you use to ensure a consistently high level of service everywhere?
Leading a massive, multi-venue resort is like conducting a symphony orchestra; every section must play in perfect harmony. The first priority is to establish a crystal-clear vision that every single employee, from the head of The Cove to the pool attendant at The Reef, understands and feels part of. You can’t micromanage a property with 1,450 rooms, so you have to lead through guiding principles and empowered leaders. For prioritizing initiatives, I use a framework that balances guest impact, revenue generation, and brand alignment. We analyze guest feedback data relentlessly, looking for patterns and pain points. If we see a consistent issue at one of our dining venues, that becomes an immediate priority. Key metrics go beyond just occupancy rates; we track guest satisfaction scores per outlet, employee engagement and turnover rates in each department, and a “net promoter score” for every key experience on the property. This data-driven approach allows a leader like Saurabh Mishra to pinpoint exactly where to focus his energy to maintain that seamless, high level of service across the entire estate.
Several appointments involve leading hotels that are part of distinct collections, such as Hyatt’s Unbound Collection or Hilton’s Tapestry Collection. What is the key to balancing the unique, independent spirit of these properties with the standards and systems of a major parent company?
The balance is an art form, a delicate dance between individuality and integration. The key is to treat the parent company’s systems—their booking engines, loyalty programs, and safety standards—as the strong, reliable foundation that allows the property’s unique character to flourish. A leader like Alexander DeChagas, who has worked with several Unbound Collection properties, understands this well. He knows how to leverage the immense power of Hyatt’s global distribution network while fiercely protecting the authentic, local spirit of a place like Hāna-Maui Resort. You don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Instead, you champion the hotel’s unique story and ensure that the brand standards are implemented in a way that feels authentic to the property, not generic or corporate. It’s about translating the brand’s promise, not just copy-pasting its rulebook.
What is your forecast for the future of hotel leadership?
I believe the future of hotel leadership will be defined by three key traits: emotional intelligence, digital fluency, and a deep commitment to sustainability. The era of the top-down, command-and-control manager is over. Tomorrow’s leaders will need to be empathetic mentors who can inspire and retain talent in a competitive market. They must also be digitally savvy, comfortable using data analytics to personalize the guest experience and optimize operations in real-time. Finally, sustainability will no longer be a marketing buzzword but a core operational and ethical imperative. The most successful general managers will be those who can seamlessly blend the art of genuine human connection with the science of modern technology and a profound respect for the planet.
